Rail-fastening



(No'ModeL) G. W. SAVAGE.

RAIL FASTENING. v No. 595,656. Patented Dec. 14,1897.

11 I 1; 6 I t) 1 3 Mhlmema0 j Z2 Z0 2 auve'ntoz Qt'comuz Q qwmw.

UNITED STATES GEORGE w. sAvA E,

OF NORWALK, OHIO.

RAIL-FASTENING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 595,656, dated December14, 1897.

Application filed August 7, 1897.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. SAVAGE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Norwalk, in the county of Huron and State of Ohio, haveinvented'certain new and useful Improvements in Rail-Fastenings; and Ido hereby declare the following to be afull,clear, and exact descriptionof the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to whichit appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in rail-fastenings, beingparticularly designed for fastening railway-rails to metal ties, theobject being to secure increased simplicity of construction, ease ofapplication, and durability and efliciency in use.

To these ends the invention consists in the novel features ofconstruction and combination of parts hereinafter described, andspecifically pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of a tie having rails securedthereto by my improved fastening. Fig. 2 is a vertical section throughthe tie and rail, showing in side elevation my fastening device inplace. Fig. 3 is a side view of a rail secured to a tie by my improvedfastening. Fig. at is a detached View of the holding-stud. Fig. 5 is adetached view of the locking-wedge, and Fig. 6 is a view of a somewhatmodified form of Wedge.

The great superiority of metal ties over in part to the fact thatexperience has shown that it is impossible to permanently secure metalrails to wooden ties. The rails wear the wooden ties where they restupon them, and the enormous strain upon the rails causes the spikes orother fastenings to wear in the wood, both causes giving rise to thespeedy loosening of the rail attachment to the ties; Redriving of thespikes, &c., is of but little avail, as the redriving of the spikeswears their seat in the wood and they have only a diminished holdingpower.

In the use of metal ties there is found no difliculty in effecting apermanently rigid fastening of the rail to the tie, but it has not beenfound easy to provide a fastening which is at once permanently secure,not complicated, durable, and capable of ready removal and replacement,so as to admit of prompt Serial No. 647,403. (No model.)

repairs when needed, as in case of a rail breaking, &c. This it is myaim to supply.

A represents the rail, and B the tie, which may be of any pattern.

b is a lip or hook struck up from the top of the tie and under which oneflange a. of the rail may be placed, as seen at the righthand end ofFig. 1, although it may be preferable to use my improved fastening forboth sides of the rail, as seen at the left-hand end.

of the same figure.

0 represents a hook-stud formed With a strong hook c, a body 0 and ahead 0 preferably provided with downward-extending lips or lugs 0 for apurpose presently to be described. In use the stud O is seated in anopening 6 in the tie, which the body 0 of the stud substantially fills,the rail-flange a bearing against the body of the stud and a wedge Dbeing driven under the head of the bolt to cause the hook c to bearfirmly against the under side of the tie. The wedgeD is formed with twolegs 01 (1 one of which tapers to a thin end and the other of which ispreferably blunt to enable the wedge to be driven out when the rail isto be removed.

When the wedge is driven under the head of the stud, the lips c extenddown outside of the wedge, as seen in Figs. 2 and 3, which prevents thewedge from spreading and becoming loose. One leg of the wedge is drivenbetween the flange a and the head 0 helping to hold down the rail, andthe other is driven between the head a and the tie, and this leg, bypreventing the head 0 from approaching the top of the tie, absolutelyprevents the removal or loosening of the stud while the wedge is inplace. After the wedge is driven home the thin end of one leg is bentdown over the cornerof the tie, as seen in Fig. 2, which prevents theloosening or removal of the wedge until the downbent end is bent upagain by a suitable tool made for the purpose. The bending down of thewedge end tends to draw the wedge still tighter, whereas if it were bentupward it would tend to loosen it.

When the rail is to be removed, as for replacing a broken or defectiverail by a new one,the downbent end of the wedge is straightened up andthe wedge is driven out by blows 011 the end of the blunt leg, whereuponthe stud can be easily turned away from the rail and unhooked andremoved, leaving the rail free. IVhen the new rail is put in place, thesame fastening can be speedily replaced as before without waste, thewedge being malleable at the tip and preferably made of steel.

hen the ties are made with the hooked lugs l) for the inner side of therail, the lugs are spaced to bring the rail to gage when abutted againstthem, and the holes for the studs 0 are likewise punched at the properdistance, so that the insertion of the studs will bring the rail togage.

By forming the wedge of the shape shown by D in Fig. 6 any tendency ofthe wedge to spread in driving is avoided.

The advantages of my improved fastening are the absence of threadedparts, which are very objectionable in railroad-work; the simplicity andsmall number of parts required; their capability of quick application,of ready removal, replacement, and repeated use of the same parts; theirstrength and durability; the impossibility of their wearing, jarring, orpounding loose, as most fastening devices now in use are liable to; thegreat difficulty of unlawful tampering with them, to which threadedparts are very liable, and, finally, the work is all done from above andthere is no need to get at the under side of the tie.

What I claim as my invention is- 1. In a rail-fastening the combinationwith the rail and perforated tie, of headed studs passing through saidperforations and bearing against the rail-flange, a hook on said studengaging the under side of the tie, and a wedge of substantially U shapedriven under the head of the stud, one leg of the wedge passing eachside of the shank of the stud, and one of said legs being clenched,substantially as described.

2. In a rail-fastening the combination with the rail and perforated tiehaving hooked lugs against which the rail-flange abuts, of headed studsengaging the perforations of the tie and having a hooked end whichengages the under side of the tie, and a wedge of substantially U shapedriven under the head of the stud,one leg of the Wedge passing on eachside of the shank of the stud, and one of said legs being clenched,substantially as described.

3. In a rail-fastening the combination with the rail and the perforatedtie having hooked lugs against which the rail-flange abuts, of headedstuds engaging the perforations of the tie and having a hooked end whichengages the under side of the tie, and a wedge of substantially U shapedriven under the head of the stud, one leg of the wedge passing betweenthe head of the stud and the rail-flange and the other leg passing onthe opposite side of the shank of the stud and beingclenched,substantially as described.

4. In combination with the rail and perforated tie, the hooked studhaving a head provided with downturned lips, and a double wedge havingits legs adapted to pass between the body of the stud and said lips,substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I hereto affix my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

GEORGE \V. SAVAGE.

\Vitnesses:

LOREN PRENTISS, L. J. RANDALL.

